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Three Huskies Found Malnourished, Neglected

SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP — An animal shelter in Lackawanna County has seen an influx of malnourished and neglected dogs this month, coincidentally, all of ...

SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP -- An animal shelter in Lackawanna County has seen an influx of malnourished and neglected dogs this month, coincidentally, all of the same breed.

They're being added to a growing list of open animal abuse investigations.

Over the past four weeks, the humane officer from Griffin Pond Animal Shelter near Clarks Summit has picked up three huskies, all victims of abuse. Two of them were severely malnourished.

The humane officer now has the tough task of tracking down their owners.

Magnum, Red, and Sahara are all huskies, but they are not related. They were found in different areas and brought to the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. Their stories are, unfortunately, similar.

"She came from Scranton, Magnum came from Laceyville, and Red came from Spring Brook Township, and it's all within a month's span that these dogs have come in," said humane officer Sandy Scala.

Red was found with maggot-infested wounds. The other two are in worse shape. It's hard to tell through their thick coats, but both are severely underweight.

Sahara was found tied to a tree.

Magnum was loose, but based on his condition, Scala says he had to have been caged up for a long time before being found.

Their cases have now been added to a long list of open animal abuse cases.

"It's just exhausting, after this, every day, it's like something else, but again, that's why we're here, is to help these guys," Scala said.

Staff members at Griffin Pond say they've seen an uptick this year in malnourished dogs coming into the shelter.

"Recently, yes, I'd say. I feel like I'm seeing it more than I thought I would," said kennel associate Katie Vairo.

Vairo says those cases are especially avoidable since Griffin Pond and several other animal rescues in Lackawanna County offer dog food to those who can't afford it.

"You take in an animal, it's your responsibility to take care of them and feed them and make sure they have a happy and healthy life," said Vairo.

If Griffin Pond Animal Shelter is able to track down the owners of any of those three dogs, at most they would be given a summary citation.

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